言 Stroke Order — How to Write 言

Stroke Order

言 is written in 7 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 言, then complete the remaining strokes.

Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.

言 Radical and Character Components

Components:亠二口

言 is an ideographic compound. A tongue sticking out of a mouth 口.

Radical: 言 + 0 more strokes

言 Pronunciation and Pinyin

yán

Meanings of 言 in Chinese

yán言

To speak, to say; often used in phrases describing various forms of communication or expression.

朋友相聚，把酒言欢，甚是惬意。

Friends gather, drinking and chatting joyfully, which is very pleasant.

Words spoken; speech; remarks; discourse.

他的发言言简意赅，大家都觉得很有道理。

His speech was concise and comprehensive, and everyone thought it made a lot of sense.

Refers to a Chinese character, often used to indicate the length or number of characters in a literary work, such as in poetic forms (e.g., '五言诗' - five-character poem) or extensive writing (e.g., '洋洋万言' - thousands of characters/words).

老师对我们千言万语地叮嘱，希望我们学习进步。

The teacher earnestly advised us with thousands of words, hoping for our academic progress.

A grammatical particle, without a specific meaning, used to assist the flow or structure in certain classical expressions or idioms, often implying 'then' or serving as a filler.

他们吵架了，但很快就言归于好。

They had an argument, but soon reconciled.

Common Words and Phrases with 言

yán言bì必yǒu有zhòng中

to always hit the nail on the head when speaking; to always say something pertinent and to the point

这位经验丰富的顾问每次发言都言必有中，总能指出问题的症结所在。

This experienced consultant always hits the nail on the head when speaking, always able to pinpoint the core of the problem.

yán言bù不jí及yì义

To talk frivolously, never discussing anything serious or meaningful.

他总是喜欢和朋友们聊些无关紧要的事，言不及义，浪费了不少时间。

He always likes to chat about irrelevant things with his friends, his words never touching on meaningful topics, wasting a lot of time.

yán言bù不yóu由zhōng衷

to say what one does not mean; to speak insincerely

他虽然说了恭喜的话，但我能感觉到他有些言不由衷。

Although he offered congratulations, I could sense his words were insincere.

yán言chū出fǎ法suí随

The law shall be enforced to the letter upon its promulgation.

这位老师在班级里向来言出法随，所以同学们都很遵守纪律。

The teacher's words always become law in the classroom, so the students are very disciplined.

yán言chuán传shēn身jiào教

to teach by verbal instruction and personal example

父母是孩子最好的老师，他们的言传身教对孩子成长有着深远的影响。

Parents are a child's best teachers; their instruction by word and personal example has a profound impact on a child's growth.

yán言cí辞

words and phrases; one's speech

她的言辞温和而有礼，让人感到非常舒适。

Her words were gentle and polite, making people feel very comfortable.

yán言dào道

what he said; say

老奶奶笑着言道，"今天天气真好啊。"

The old lady smiled and said, "The weather is really nice today."

yán言dìng定

Agree upon; make a firm commitment by words.

我们言定下周五下午三点在咖啡馆讨论项目细节。

We agreed to discuss the project details at the cafe next Friday at three in the afternoon.

yán言duō多yǔ语shī失

The more one talks, the more mistakes one makes.

他知道自己性格比较冲动，所以在重要的会议上，总是提醒自己要少说为妙，以免言多语失。

He knows he tends to be impulsive, so in important meetings, he always reminds himself that it's better to speak less, lest he should make a slip of the tongue from talking too much.

yán言guān官

imperial censors